How home builders can cut warranty calls

Know which calls you are getting

Sort a year of warranty requests into three piles: real defects, things that are normal for a new house (settling cracks, nail pops, a door that sticks in humid weather), and questions (what model, who installed it, how do I change this). The first pile is a construction problem. The other two are information problems, and information is cheap to fix.

Seven ways to cut them

1. Put the performance standards in writing

A lot of year-one disagreements are about what is acceptable: how wide a crack, how much a floor can squeak. NAHB's Residential Construction Performance Guidelines exist for this, setting out how homes should perform during the warranty period across 13 construction categories. Whatever standard you use, reference it in the contract and the manual, so the answer to "is this normal?" is on paper before anyone asks.

2. Say clearly what isn't covered

The FTC lists what builder warranties typically don't cover: household appliances, small cracks in brick, tile, cement or drywall, and components covered under a manufacturer's warranty. If yours excludes them, tell the buyer at orientation and in the manual, and point them to the maker's warranty for each appliance.

3. Run an orientation that teaches

Pro Builder's list of ways to cut warranty expense includes giving homeowners an orientation manual that covers what they need to know and do to maintain the house. A buyer who has turned the water off themselves, changed a filter with you watching and seen where the reset button is will not call about those. Our orientation checklist gives the walk in order.

4. Register the equipment, or make sure the buyer does

Registration deadlines are short. Trane says registering within 60 days of installation lengthens its warranty term, and Rheem's air conditioner warranty asks for registration within 60 days of installation or closing. A missed deadline turns a maker's problem into your problem, so register on the buyer's behalf where the maker allows it, or give them a list with dates.

5. Take non-urgent requests in writing, and batch them

The FTC advises homeowners to put repair requests in writing, even when there is a hotline for urgent ones, which suits builders too: a written list is easier to schedule than a stream of calls. Some builders book visits at set points in the first year so a buyer can save up small items. New Jersey's program now lets homeowners submit warranty claims through an online portal, which is the same idea at state scale.

6. Hand over the records, not just the keys

"What model is the range?" is a call only because the answer is in your files and not the buyer's. Give them every appliance's brand, model, serial, manual and warranty, and the trade to call for each system. NAHB's homeowner guide outline includes a worksheet for appliance serial and model numbers for exactly this reason.

7. Give them the upkeep, on a schedule

Some year-two problems start as skipped upkeep in year one: a clogged filter, an unflushed water heater, caulk that was never redone. Telling a buyer once at orientation is not the same as reminding them in the month each job is due.

What not to do

Don't make the buyer call to find out how to ask for service, and don't let the warranty contact live only in one person's phone. And don't promise more than your warranty document says. A friendly "we'll take care of it" on closing day becomes a dispute when it contradicts the written terms.

Questions people ask